X in the Shadows
by you-neek
Summary: Previously called glass ringsIt's amazing how some people can jump to conclutions ... even if you did lead them on a bit. Red X does have feelings for a certain titan, but her hair is far from orange.
1. Alleyway Introductions

Chapter One: Alleyway Introductions

Raven peered down a miniscule alleyway. _No one could hide in here._ It had started out as a pitiful excuse for a bank robbery, but the thieves were smarter than they looked and had a getaway car waiting around the corner. Robin had ordered them to split up and search, and so far Raven was having as much luck finding them as trying to hide a white cat in a sea of black cats.

Hands shot out of nowhere and dragged her into the next alleyway. One arm had found he waist and the other hand was covering her mouth. Her mystery attacker slammed her up against the brick wall, and held her arms up on either side of her head by her wrists. His scent was overpowering.

"What did you do, use the whole bottle!"

"Anything for you sweetheart." He stuck his nose into her neck and breathed heavily.

"Get off me." She snarled.

"I don't think so. You see I like where I am and I don't want to move." He pulled back and looked her in the eye.

"Fine." Her voice was dripping with venom and her face was contorted with rage. In one swift movement her knee had come up between his legs, up far enough to cause him extreme pain. She kicked him out of the alley and followed him with a glare that would make Robin himself shrink back.

"Well there goes a couple family generations down the drain. Remind me not to piss you off."

Raven whirled around and saw Red X himself, sitting on a dumpster.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Raven drawled. Even though Red X _was_ a criminal, he hadn't been doing anything lately.

"The Jump City News Reporters don't exactly give you the whole story. I like getting out and watching you guys fight.

"I'm honoured that I made a thief's top ten things to do when your bored."

"You're welcome," Red X hopped down from the dumpster and slowly walked towards her, "If you've ever watched you team fight, you'd notice a think or two. Like how Cyborg gets irritated if a fight goes on too long… Beast Boy doesn't always use his animal skills to the best of their abilities. If something happened to Robin or any of her friends Starfire's aim gets worse. Or if you get Robin angry his attacks get more powerful but he gets very sloppy." By now Red X had made it over to Raven and was looking her in the eye.

"And what about me?" she asked crossing her arms.

"You? …" he walked behind her and trailed an finger from her shoulder to her neck. "You're very powerful but your always holding back." He placed a hand on her shoulder and used the other one to play with her hair. "Not to mention exotic. I've never met someone with purple eyes…." Being this close to each other defiantly had an effect, especially on her. Random pieces of garbage were surrounded by black energy and flipping around on the ground.

Unfortunately, her communicator went off, reminding her that she was there trying to catch thieves.

"That's my cue to exit. See ya later gorgeous." He swiftly pecked her on the cheek and disappeared into the night.

She wasn't entirely recovered from shock when she reached for her communicator.

"I'm here."

"Raven. Beast Boy and Cyborg found the thieves and they're in police custody now. We're heading home."

"I'm already there."


	2. Rooftop Rumble

Chapter two: Rooftop rumble

Raven was walking around downtown Jump City, and was feeling bored. She had finished her book, meditated for almost half the day and drank enough tea for a temple of monks.

"You know gorgeous, if your not careful, some big baddie might come out and snatch you."

Raven flew up to a roof where the voice was coming from and landed gently.

"I'm a big girl X, I'm sure I'll be fine. I seemed to be alright the last time I saw you."

"In all fairness sweetie, that was cheating." Raven turned towards the voice and finally found where Red X was sitting. He was quite relaxed on an air shaft with one leg bent and the other one dangling over the edge. His elbow was resting on his bent knee and his other arm was beside him, supporting his weight.

"What would you know about cheating? You've got all those X's, not to mention when you had the belt." Raven crossed her arms and leaned on an air vent, not far from Red X.

"And _you've_ got your powers."

Raven raised an eyebrow as if to say '_so_?'

"Alright gorgeous, what do you say we have a little spar. You and me. Right here. No powers, and I won't use my weapons. Hand to hand." He jumped down and walked over to her, "What do you say?"

Normally she would have done _anything _but spar with X, but she was in a playful mood and had nothing better to do.

"Fine." She walked past him into an open area on the roof.

"Ready … Go!"

They lunged at each other. Soon they were bobbing and weaving each others attacks, getting a punch of a kick in whenever they could. It wasn't long before Red X was on his back. Raven was straddling him, pinning his arms on either side of his head.

"Give up yet?" she panted. They were both breathing heavy even though they hadn't been fighting that long.

"Don't get too cocky." He warned, flipping them over so her hips were in between his knees. "… that's my job. Fascinating position we're in." she flipped them over again. This time her knee was digging into an area of his, just below his stomach.

"Would you like me to make it so you can't carry out any of your **ideas." **He kicked her off and pinned her against an air shaft so that her face was pressed against the cold metal.

"Jesus sugar, your dangerous."

She just laughed and phased through the air shaft.

"Oi! We said no powers!" He searched franticly for her but came up with nothing.

"We didn't shake on it!" Red X whirled around just in time to be hit with black energy. He stumbled back and tried to regain his balance.

"Breaking the rules Raven? Mind if I join?" Raven was too slow to dodge an X that was sent flying her way. After struggling with it for a moment she calmly walked up to him and pointed to her mouth.

"Take it off? You'll just attack me." She shook her head and pointed to mouth again. Her eyes looked a little pleading almost … _almost._

Red X pulled out a small spray can and squirted it a few times onto the X, making sure to avoid her eyes. Then he slowly peeled it off and tossed it aside.

"What's in there?" she asked eyeing the spray can and rubbing her cheeks and mouth.

"Special formula that I made a little while after I got the suit. I thought if someone tried to use it against me I'd need to get out of it somehow."

"What is it made of?"

"Nah…I take pride in knowing that I cause beast boy grief after his hair gets entangled with that red goop. Plus it gives you a reason to come find me," he traced her jaw with his finger, "or vice versa."

She batted his hand away and walked to the edge of the roof.

"So why did you leave the tower?"

Raven leaned on the railing that was there and thought a moment. _Why **did** she leave the tower?_ Ever since the time she had seen Red X in the alleyway she had been feeling restless. Her normal routine of : wake up, drink tea, read book, drink tea, read book, meditate, eat ,drink tea, meditate, go to sleep (with a few 'take a shower', 'be annoyed by beast boy', and 'fight crime's thrown in) was getting … dare she say it? … boring.

She was so lost in thought she didn't notice Red X come up behind her until he placed his hands on her belt and spoke softly in her ear.

"What? The answer not in any of those books you read?" she twisted around in his arms until she was facing him. "Sometimes the answers right in front of you, gorgeous."

Raven know she wasn't tall, but Red X towering about a foot above her just screamed _heya shorty!_

"So why did you leave the tower? You aren't fighting crime. Did ya miss me?" he suggested leaning closer. Hesitantly she reached for his mask. "Curiosity killed the cat you know."

"No it didn't. The car that hit the cat killed it." As she was saying this she pulled his mask up enough to reveal the tip of his nose. He gently grabbed her wrist signalling her to stop.

"Either way, the cat still died. I don't want the cat to die. I kind of like her." With that said he leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. They were surprisingly soft and most intriguingly tasted like strawberries. When he pulled back she had a look of utmost shock on her face. Then without warning she slapped him hard across the face.

He rubbed it gingerly and chuckled lightly.

"You know you didn't have to slap me. You could have just kissed me back."

"You self absorbed, cocky ba-" she attempted to shove him, but he caught her wrists, did a fancy spin, and before she knew it both her hands were in his and he back was pressed up against his chest.

"Even in you did slap me, it was still worth it." Raven shuddered as his lips grazed her ear. Then, just as the last time they met, he kissed her check and vanished.

Raven placed a hand on her cheek and shivered in the cold wind. She floated up to the air vent Red X had first waited for her on, and got comfortable, pulling her cloak tight around her.

It was a while before she finally tore her eyes away from the stars and headed back to the tower. Maybe that new tea wasn't suck a good idea after all …


	3. Diamond Dash

Diamond Dash:

It had started out as a normal day. Raven had her tea, Robin had his orange juice and the morning paper. Beast Boy and Cyborg had their meat vs. tofu argument. And Starfire had her … food (if you could call it that).

Cyborg had just finished the last of his bacon (Raven had finally got irritated enough to throw Beast Boy out the window, which left Cy to do whatever he pleased.) when the alarm went off.

"Someone's robbing a jewellery store in the east part of town." Robin said as he typed furiously. His expression grew grim as his typing came to a halt. "It's Red X. Titans Go!"

They all piled into the T-car and sped off. Each Titan had a different reason for this particular criminal to trigger an emotion or two. Four out of five of the titans were angry at Red X for something or another. Robin was angry because Red X was his mistake. Starfire was angry because Red X had hit on her. Cyborg didn't like to think that someone could get by his security system. And Beast Boy had an extreme loathing for that red gel X threw at him.( it messes up his doo!).

Raven however didn't know how to feel. Sure she should be angry at him. After all, he was a criminal. Yet she couldn't forget the events of last night. _"… I kind of like her…"_ And then he had kissed her!… for which she had slapped him afterwards.

_"…Even though you slapped me, it was still worth it…"_

Did he really like her? He called her gorgeous all the time, and the past two times that he saw her alone he never left without kissing her cheek. But what if-

"There!" Robin pointed to a building just ahead of them.

After scrambling out of the car they entered 'Dons' Diamonds.' The shop owner was tied up behind the counter, but besides that the only thing out of place was the front window and area under the glass near the cash register had been cleaned of any and all jewellery.

Raven busied herself with untying the shop owner while the others looked around for Red X. Suddenly Robin spotted him outside.

One more knot… Raven bit her lip as she finished untying the man. As soon as she was done she ran out the door.

Cyborg was on the ground twitching, the occasional spark flying out of random parts, a red x on his back. Beast Boy was stuck in a pile of red gel, tying franticly not to get it in his hair (and failing miserably). Robin was unconscious in a net and Starfire was throwing star bolts at X like they were going out of style.

When he finally got a chance to throw an X at her she tried to dodge it but she was too slow. Red X turned and saw Raven flying towards him. He threw an X at her, picked up his bag of jewels and ran around the corner. Raven ran after him, chasing him through crowds of people, down alleyways until they carried the chase from the streets to the rooftops. He stopped abruptly and soon they were fighting, not unlike their little spar the night before. He knocked her feet out from under her and ran behind an air shaft.

Seething, Raven ran after him, only to be grabbed by her arm and have her back slammed hard against metal.

"Did you miss me gorgeous?"

She tried to bring her knee up, but he caught it and clicked his tongue at her.

"Feisty today are we?"

"Mm-mmm, mm-hm-mm, mm-hm!"

"What was t hat?" he brought out his spray can and gave the X a squirt.

"Cocky, self-absorbed, bastard." She panted after he had peeled it off.

He put his hand over his heart in a mock hurt sort of way. "Ouch Raven that hurt. And I had a present for you too."

"What?"

"That's right." He reached behind him and pulled out a ring. He took her right hand and placed the ring on her middle finger. "Now you can flip people off and you can at least be decorative."

Raven brought the ring up to her face for closer inspection. It was a plain black glass ring, with a stripe of deep purple in the middle.

"Do you like it?"

She raised her head up to look at him, but was spared the effort of speaking before his lips came down gently on hers. It was barely longer than the last one, but it still seemed like she was there for ages. He pulled back a little, but not too far.

"I'll let you take the bag of jewels without a fight since you didn't slap me"

"Even if I had slapped you, and had to fight you, in the end I'd still be the one with the jewellery." She glared as his smirk widened.

"Sure you would sweetheart. You keep telling yourself that." He kissed her once more before he stepped back, tugged his mask on and pressed the button on his belt, vanishing to god-knows-where.

She gathered up the sack of jewels and was almost at 'Dons' Diamonds' when she remembered the ring Red X had given her. He could have stolen it, but not recently. He hadn't been active since the events with doctor Chang, and 'Dons' Diamonds' only sold diamonds, not glass rings.

She had just decided to ask Red X about it later, when she ran headlong into Robin. "oof… ah Raven sorry, did you get him?" Robin grabbed her shoulders to stop her from falling over

"No but I got the jewellery." She held up the bag. "He dropped it when I attacked him." She purposely left out that he dropped it right before kissing her.

Robin sighed in irritation. "Better luck next time I guess. Come on lets get this back to the store owner."

After they rounded the corner they found a pouting Beast Boy.

"He messed up my doo! AGAIN!" Beast Boy threw his hands up in the air, frustrated. Raven roller her eyes and carried the jewellery inside to an anxious looking shop owner.

"Oh thank you! I don't know what Jump City would do without the Teen Titans." She handed him the bag and placed her hands on the counter.

_Tap_ …. Oops. The shop owner glanced down at Ravens hand and spied her ring.

"Oh my, Raven. That is a very nice ring. Where did you get it?"

"Uh… a … friend."

"This must be a very good friend. Usually glass rings are only one colour. The ones that have stripes down the middle are a little more expensive." He disappeared behind the counter again and started arranging the jewellery under the glass again. Raven thought a moment before asking.

"Where would someone go to buy a glass ring?" The shop owner popped up and headed over to arrange jewellery in the window.

"Oh all over… but if you wanted to get a ring like yours, you would have to order one from Steel City." He finished up in the front window and placed the bag behind the counter. "Planning on getting one for your friend?"

"What? Oh … no… I was just wondering where he got it …" she trailed off.

"HE? Hmmm…….." the shop owner had a knowing smile on.

"Yes HE…..now unless you're being robbed again, I'm going home."

* * *

I hope this works… Raven was sitting on the roof of a building. This building was a little on the tall side and had a good view of most of the city. She wasn't sure what the building was used for, but it was completely dark inside. The reason she was on the roof was she wanted to talk to X. Why had he given her that ring? And why had he kissed her! Suddenly Raven twisted around and saw Red X standing behind her.

"Couldn't sleep gorgeous? Thinking about me?"

"Don't flatter yourself." She said as she stood up. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh so you were thinking about me!" he walked past her and sat on the edge of the roof.

"Fine. Yes I was thinking about you." She rolled her eyes and sat beside him.

"Hnhnnn … and why were you thinking about me?" he asked, placing a finger under her chin so he could look at her. She took a breath and lowered her hood.

"I wanted to know why you gave me the ring … and why you… kissed me."

"I would have thought that was a little obvious. You of all people would know. You're not one to ignore the obvious."

"But you could have any other girl. What about Starfire."

"What about Starfire. Just because I flirted a little doesn't mean that I like her. Sure she's cute but … she's just to bright and cheery. She couldn't take a hint if it danced in front of her wearing an outfit of Robins. Besides. I could have any girl? So what do you think I'm doing?"

"Why did you give me this ring?" she asked, spreading out her fingers and holding her hand out in front of her.

"Ah, so you're still wearing it. Do you like it?"

"Yes" she whispered.

His hand came behind her and rested on her hip.

"Are you still that oblivious?" he pulled her a little closer.

_"Hey look!"_

"Oh f-"

"Jesus Raven, where you raised by sailors? That's some mouth."

"Hurry up, we have to go!" she helped him up and dragged him away from the edge.

"Why so worried? It's not like we're together or anything."

"That's a trick question…."

"Touché. Well gorgeous, looks like this is where we split up." He pressed on the small of her back and kissed her on the cheek. Raven was used to this by now and didn't say anything…. Until his hands went a little lower than they should have.

"X!" she screamed his name as he walked away.

"Ooops, my hands slipped." He called over his shoulder.

She was still fuming when he jumped onto the next rooftop.

**Yay another chapter done and up! A little longer that the others i think but i'm going to calgary tommorrow and the next chapter will probly be more than a little late. Oh the joys of sitting in a hot car for 8 hours! Happy days. I dedicate this chapter to the last review I got from South East Asia! Sorry for the slow update again but my history with finishing things isn't so good. Just ask my english teacher. But i will finish this story! Cross my liver and hope to die.**


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